Coco Goff finds it ‘difficult’ to hear from the US amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown
Coco Goff says it’s “hard to wake up” and see what’s happening back home in America, and she will continue to speak out on issues that are important to her.
The two-time Grand Slam singles champion is one of a number of American athletes who have voiced their displeasure with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Protests have broken out across the United States since Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis last month.
Gauff, 21, had spent much of the year competing overseas and the world number five learned of their death while in Australia for the first Grand Slam of the year.
“I don’t think people should die in the streets just trying to survive,” Gauff told reporters in Dubai, where she will compete this week.
“It’s hard to wake up and see something because I do care deeply about our country. I think people for some reason think I don’t care, but I do. I’m very proud to be an American.
“You don’t have to represent all the values of what’s going on in leadership. I think there are a lot of people around me who believe in what I believe in, who believe in diversity and equality.”
Asked about problems in the United States during the Australian Open, Gauff called for “more peace and kindness” in the United States.
Fellow citizen Madison Keys supports immigrants and the diversity they bring to America and said she hopes the country “can come together.”
Gus Kenworthy, a British ski team member who grew up in the United States, said he received death threats after posting anti-ICE messages on social media.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess, speaking at the Winter Olympics, added, “Just because I’m wearing a flag doesn’t mean I represent what’s going on in America,” to which President Trump responded by calling him a “real loser.”
Bea Kim said America is “very divided” but that “diversity makes us a very strong country,” while snowboarder Maddie Mastro said she was “sad about what’s going on in the country. I feel like we can’t turn a blind eye to this.”
Milan-Cortina silver medalist Chloe Kim believes athletes should be “allowed to have a say in what’s going on. I think we need to lead with love and compassion.”
Gough said she feels confident in giving honest answers when asked about politics, in part because of her grandmother.
Yvonne Lee Odom helped desegregate public schools in the 1960s, becoming the first black student in a public school in Delray Beach, Florida.
“My grandmother was really an activist,” Gough added. “This is literally my life. I get to answer the tough questions.”
